Sin isn't relevant anymore. Alan Mann takes seriously this often-heard assertion and instead goes in search of the real plight at the heart of contemporary western society. What he finds there is a personal, pervasive, and self-diminishing diseaseimpacting the lives of millions of people: shame. With this insight, Atonement for a Sinless Society seeks a fresh encounter with the biblical narrative, building a more meaningful understanding of the story of Jesus and his disciples for the world in which we live and, in doing so, bringing the Christian understanding of atonement into the twenty-first century.
"Sin doesn't really exist as a serious idea in modern life," wrote the journalist Bryan Appleyard. He is not alone in his views. Sin has become just as tainted, polluted and defiled in the postmodern mind as the world itself indicates.Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society is about an encounter between two stories: the story of the postmodern, post-industrialized, post-Christian 'sinless' self and the story of Atonement played out in the Passion Narrative. Alan Mann charts a way through the apparent impasse between a story that supposedly relies on sin and guilt to become meaningful and one that fails to recognize the plight of humanity as portrayed in this way. He shows that the biblical narrative needs to be reread in the light of this emerging story so that it can speak meaningfully and sufficiently to an increasingly 'sinless' society.
A provocative study that cuts to the very heart of Christian thought, The Nonviolent Atonement challenges the traditional, Anselmian understanding of atonement along with the assumption that heavenly justice depends on Christ s passive, innocent submission to violent death at the hands of a cruel God. Instead J. Denny Weaver offers a thoroughly nonviolent paradigm for understanding atonement, grounded in the New Testament and sensitive to the concerns of pacifist, black, feminist, and womanist theology. While many scholars have engaged the subject of violence in atonement theology, Weaver s Nonviolent Atonement is the only book that offers a radically new theory rather than simply refurbishing existing theories. Key features of this revised and updated second edition include new material on Paul and Anselm, expanded discussion on the development of violence in theology, interaction with recent scholarship on atonement, and response to criticisms of Weaver s original work. Praise for the first edition: The best current single volume on reconstructing the theology of atonement. S. Mark Heim in Anglican Theological Review Weaver provides an important contribution to atonement theories by seriously inserting the contemporary concerns of pacifist, feminist, womanist, and black theologians into the centuries-old christological conversation. . . . A provocative but faithful proposal benefiting any student of christology. Religious Studies Review A noteworthy contribution to the literature on the atonement. Weaver provides a useful critique of the history of atonement motifs; he does a fine job of placing Anselm s theology in its historical context; he creatively fuses a singular biblical vision from the earthly narrative of the Gospels and the cosmic perspective of the Apocalypse; and he attempts to relate discussions of the atonement to Christian social ethics. Trinity Journal This is a superb succinct survey and analysis of classical and contemporary theories of the atonement, ideal for students and general readers. . . . A clearly written, passionately expressed introduction to current debates on the atonement. . . . Excellent resource. Reviews in Religion and Theology
Sinless Society reflects a society that is free from sin or guilt. ‘Sinless Society', is the perfect book where you can find the concept of sin in a most amazing way which tells the readers to live sinlessly. Mostly poetry, short stories, and open letters are written. It is an anthology where co-authors have expressed their viewpoints through a note to the society. The book is the result of the efforts of every co-author involved in it. It has got amazing poets and writers combined from all around the world and has been compiled by Prabrajita Roy and initiated by Rosewood Publications. Do read out the pieces in it!
Over the centuries the church developed a number of metaphors, such as penal substitution or the ransom theory, to speak about Christ's death on the cross and the theological concept of the atonement. Yet too often, says Scot McKnight, Christians have held to the supremacy of one metaphor over against the others, to their detriment. He argues instead that to plumb the rich theological depths of the atonement, we must consider all the metaphors of atonement and ask whether they each serve a larger purpose. A Community Called Atonement is a constructive theology that not only values the church's atonement metaphors but also asserts that the atonement fundamentally shapes the life of the Christian and of the church. That is, Christ identifies with humans to call us into a community that reflects God's love (the church)--but that community then has the responsibility to offer God's love to others through missional practices of justice and fellowship, living out its life together as the story of God's reconciliation. Scot McKnight thus offers an accessible, thought-provoking theology of atonement that engages the concerns of those in the emerging church conversation and will be of interest to all those in the church and academy who are listening in.
The belief that Jesus died for us, suffering the wrath of his own Father in our place, has been the wellspring of hope for countless Christians through the ages. However, with an increasing number of theologians, church leaders, and even popular Christian books and magazines questioning this doctrine, which naysayers have described as a form of "cosmic child abuse," a fresh articulation and affirmation of penal substitution is needed. And Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach have responded here with clear exposition and analysis. They make the case not only that the doctrine is clearly taught in Scripture, but that it has an impeccable pedigree and a central place in Christian theology, and that its neglect has serious consequences. The authors also systematically analyze over twenty specific objections that have been brought against penal substitution and charitably but firmly offer a defining declaration of the doctrine of the cross for any concerned reader.
A Close Look at Atonement's Place in Contemporary Systematic Theology. In light of renewed interest in the doctrine of atonement—during which a range of "atonement models" have gained momentum among different traditions—it's important to map these models to the broader context of theological thought on this aspect of Christ's work and to show how no single approach has the complete picture. The proceedings of the third annual Los Angeles Theology Conference seek to identify the place of the doctrine of atonement in systematic theology. Locating Atonement stays away from discussion of theories of atonement, typologies of those theories, and contests among various theories. Instead, its focus is on the question: What else is there to do in atonement theology besides rehashing types and theories? The twelve diverse essays in this collection include discussions on: Atonement and the concept of punishment. Atonement and ascension. Atonement and human suffering. Atonement and covenant. Each of the essays collected in this volume engage with Scripture as well as with others in the field—theologians both past and present, from different confessions—in order to provide constructive resources for contemporary systematic theology and to forge a theology for the future.
Atonement has been described as the central doctrine of Christianity and yet, surprisingly, the church has never insisted on a particular understanding of how redemption in Christ was achieved. Instead, a miscellany of metaphors has been employed, each picturing “something” of Christ’s work. Recent debate within Reformed Evangelicalism has been characterized by claims for hegemony to be granted to penal substitution versus counter-arguments for a kaleidoscopic, multi-model understanding. Notably absent in these discussions, however, are two considerations. One is any common nexus to draw atonement thought together. The other is any positive theological contribution deriving from God’s preexisting relationship with Israel (the presumed role of which has rather been to provide a negative contrast of law-versus-grace and works-versus-faith, as the dark background against which the light of Christ may shine more brightly). Recent scholarship, however—particularly the “new perspective on Paul”—has comprehensively dismantled the old stereotypes concerning first-century Judaism. This book asks how differently we might think about the atonement once it is brought into conversation with the new scholarship. It concludes by proposing a “new perspective” on atonement in which Christ is central, Israel and Torah are affirmed, and the traditional metaphors continue to find their place.
Tracing the powerful motif of the "coming of the Son of man" from Daniel through to Revelation, Andrew Perriman provides thought-provoking ideas about eschatological narrative. What was it like to hear the biblical proclamation of this "coming" for the first time in a cultural, political, and religious context very different from our own? How did early Christians think about the imminence of the promised "day of the Lord"? What difference did this message make to how they thought, lived, and spread the gospel message? This book engages the minds of jaded twenty-first-century postmoderns who have "heard it all before." By seeing the fulfilment of much of New Testament apocalyptic in events of the first centuries, Perriman proposes that in some important sense we have moved beyond eschatology--into an age of renewed community and mission that is creational in its scope. The Coming of the Son of Man is important reading for those who want to engage in the debate concerning what church is--and will be.
